Ooof. This was a gut wrenching story. Fair warning: not at ALL a light summer read! The first half moved slowly, and ominously, towards a terrible event while Backman set up the backstory for what seemed like a dozen pivotal characters. Juuust as it was starting to feel tedious, things moved at breakneck speed towards the conclusion of how the townspeople came to grips with their reality. It's full of triggers, so I'd do some research before reading if you think it might be necessary. Backman has a way with painting harsh realities, but the ending felt somewhat hopeful, despite the oft repeated revelation that 'we cannot protect our children.'
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